The Family that feasts together

When I was living at home we had a family rule, that dinner was eaten together as a family at the table, with the TV off. ( with the exception of friday night pizza night) Yes there were sometimes arguments, but it was the one time of the day where we could sit down and just be together. If I was still living at home there is no way I would have been playing Wow as often. Because the dinner time call would not have tolerated ‘but muuuummm I’m in a raid.. ‘

Many cultures consider eating together important, its a time for family bonding, for talking about your day. It’s not about just eating, its participating in the ritual of arguing with your siblings as who’s turn it is to set the table, and sitting down at the table together. It may not always be peaceful, and I was one of 4 kids competing for parental attention, but the simple act of sitting together breaking bread together was important.

We have had feasts in the game since Wrath, In Cata, we got a Barbecue or as we aussies call them Barbeques, the Broiled Dragon Feast recipe and the Seafood Magnifique Feast recipe, ( I know one guildy that probably never wants to see another Eel again after he did most of the pool fishing to get that) we also have Cauldrons. So not only can your guild eat together you get cauldron cocktails!

The Feast forces you to sit in reasonably proximity together to eat it. There is even a nice little announcement letting people know a feast has been prepared, and like people ‘rush to a table’ people rush to the feast. Make jokes about the Moonkins feathery butt sitting on the feast, or making fush and chips jokes (Thoughts go out to the Christchurch Kiwis 😦 )

A group that eats together can be stronger, more unified, more bonded in the real world, can this be said in game as well? that the very simple act of eating together encourages you to work together more as a team? I think so.

Putting a fish feast down and eating it is now an important part of the after Wipe ritual. Your not raid ready until you have a feast. It’s become an essential part of raiding, this ritual of sitting down, and eating together.

Another place a feast or even a cake encourages people to bond is in BG’s

You only get limited time to ‘bond’ with people in a Bg – a feast or a cake can change the mood enough to get the group to bond together quick enough to make them want to work together.

You can stand waiting for that bg to start for your 130 odd seconds in silence, or you can put a feast down and watch people spur to action, or comment, they will be more likely to buff, more likely to get candy out and mage food out, people become more willing to share, and your then in a room of people, not mindless avatars staring at a computer screen.

Or everyone else can stand around while you waste a fish feast on a Bg of players that won’t eat it. ( maybe they shouldn’t have put a live crab in there)

I seem to recall a certain priest thanking me on a couple of occasions in BGs for the provision of Mage food… apparently some people treat the provision of food as an opportunity to say hello… and what a wonderful occasion that was…

If I remember right, I even received a much sought after ride in a bile’s sidecar in return.. without ejection!

Always, always eat the food given by someone conscious enough of the team’s health and welfare to cough up the goods.

Nothing drives me crazier than Locks or Mages who withheld their candy and cookies, munching down on the BG… as my ol’ teachers used to say, if you don’t bring enough to share, don’t chew in front of everyone else.